Month / January 2012

I’ll bet this morning you had some coffee or tea, maybe some breakfast. Then off to work, or to school, or perhaps to the barn. What chores did you have? How many meetings? What are you having for dinner? How much homework do you have tonight? In other words, what is a day in your life like?

Our TV Star!

I’m sure you like a routine to your day. So do our horses and ponies, like Tucker. Tucker is one of our special stars. He is used in therapeutic lessons, hippotherapy and recreational lessons. He is a wonder pony who has even been in a television studio! What an interesting day that must have been for him.

On a normal day, though, Tucker’s might go something like this:

It’s 7 am, where’s my hay? I’ll whinny as a reminder that IT’S TIME. I’ve got my head stuck over the stall door waiting – can you see me? After hay, I get my breakfast – yum. Food is very important to me, you know – I try to grab a snack of grass, bush, leaf, whenever I can. Actually, I like to try and trick a new volunteer into letting me grab a bite of grass as we walk to and from the barn – sometimes it even works – haha!

Time for turnout with my BFF Traveler in our big paddock. I’m not out with the herd, because apparently they think I am a little too bossy with other horses. I don’t know WHAT they are talking about.… Anyway Traveler and I play and argue over the piles of hay, but we sure love each other. We play tag with each other, trotting around. I get a pat now and then from someone walking by.

Best Friends

Later in the morning, someone comes to get me ready for my 11:30 therapeutic class. They take me inside the barn, where I get a nice brush and cleaning — it sure feels good to get the itchy dirt and mud out of my coat. Can you brush carefully around my ears and under my chin? It’s hard for me to reach! For this class I wear a bareback pad and my regular bridle.

I like my class at 11:30. I have a nice horsehandler and a sidewalker. I don’t mind the extra company, because I know they are helping my rider. My rider is very happy to see me and gives me a nice pat after she gets on. We mostly walk in this class but do a little bit of trotting. I’m feeling very energetic today, so I’m happy to trot a bit. Sometimes we go for a trail ride, but it was raining today, so we stayed inside.

After the class, I hang out with Traveler again. He is so happy to see me – he almost always whinnies “hello.” More hay! After munching for a bit, I take a little nap. Traveler and I don’t care about the rain – we are ponies bred for the outdoor weather – we don’t even notice the raindrops. There’s always a lot of activity in the afternoons here, so I see a lot of people and horses walking back and forth.

Hugs!

A girl comes to get me at 3:15 to prepare for another therapeutic class. I walk and trot in this class too. I’m wearing a western pad with a surcingle now. This time I have a horsehandler and two sidewalkers – lots of activity around me, but I’m used to that. We play games with buckets – every once in a while I stick my nose in to see if there is a treat (I haven’t found one yet…) My rider has a great time riding today. I know he looks forward to this day every week.

Whew, it’s been a busy day, so I’m happy to go home to my dinner and to talk with Traveler again. He lives right across the aisle from me. I love going into a nice clean stall – sometimes I even roll around in the fresh shavings. And I always have hay waiting for me. Yesss.. Someone comes at night to give us our late night hay, and then it’s time to sleep. Did you know that I lay down to sleep?! Some people think horses can’t lay down to sleep, but trust me we do! And snore! And dream! I think I’ll dream about munching on that nice flowery bush I see in the garden…

Would you like to learn more about therapeutic riding? Or more about disabilities? Or more about horses? Take advantage of all of our resources. We have books and articles, webinars and workshops, all available to YOU, our extraordinary volunteers.

BOOKSVisit our library located in the conference room area. You’ll find books for children and adults — feel free to borrow or browse at any time. We have a number of fun and interesting books related to horses and riding. Titles include Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul, Shy Boy, British and U.S. pony club manuals, as well as several pamphlets and booklets about disabilities and riding.

Creative Games for Beating the Winter Blues on Monday, January 23, 7-8pm ESSometimes we all need a change of pace to keep our lessons fresh and our students engaged. Games can be the perfect solution, but can be a challenge to come up with. In this webinar we will explore some tried and true games for the winter season. We will also go over an easy template and exercises to help you come up with your own games!

Jenna Nowosacki, the presenter, is a PATH Intl Registered Level Instructor and Program Coordinator at Windrush Farm in Boxford, MA. Jenna graduated from Gordon College with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and Youth Ministry – two areas with lots of emphasis on creative game design.

WORKSHOPSDid you know we offer workshops and training seminars for volunteers? If you are interested in any of these topics, please contact Jenna at jenna@windrushfarm.org

One of our volunteers long lining with Seth

Long Lining:Learn how to ground drive a horse using long lines! Long lining is an excellent method for training horses, helping to improve their flexibility and conditioning. It allows the horse to learn without a rider. Historically, many hippotherapy programs use long lining as an alternative method of leading a horse. Join us for this fun and informative class! You will improve your horse handling skills and learn more about horse training! Join us on Tuesdays at 2:30.

Drill Team: Have fun on in an upcoming Drill Team workshop: precision riding with music. See our latest drill team at work! This workshop will be scheduled soon!

Wow! Can you imagine standing on a horse?

Vaulting: a bit like gymnastics on horseback. Vaulting is officially recognized by the International Federation of Equestrian Sports as a competitive sport. You might have seen vaulting in the circus too. Windrush Farm uses vaulting in some of our therapeutic programs. Come and see why! This workshop is also in the planning stages. Email us if you are interested!

We hope that all of our volunteers can take advantage of all we offer here at Windrush Farm. Our staff is available to answer any questions and help you learn more. We hope to see you at one or all of our webinars and workshops!